For Army senior lacrosse players Brandon Butler, Tom Palesky, and Pat Mulholland, sacrifice is something they do without hesitation.

At 23 years old, I’m not really sure what I’ll do, but there’s no better place to be than the Army,” Mulholland says.

All around the country, teams are gearing up for what is sure to be an exciting batch of conference and tournament championships this spring. Army plays Colgate at 5 p.m. Friday in the first round of the Patriot League Tournament. But at West Point, lacrosse takes a back seat to life. For these soon-to-be graduates, their lives are dedicated to service, a truth that is illustrated by them choosing to increase their service to eight years of active duty to secure Infantry as their respective branches, as opposed to the normal five years.

“You listen to the news and listen to other infantry soldiers and you want to be a part of it. Being associated with the people in infantry is humbling and very exciting,”Palesky says.

Palesky was a preseason All American at the goalie position and recently named the Patriot League's Goalkeeper of the Year, although goalie's not always where he wanted to play. “I wanted to be an attackman and score goals.”

Halfway through his sophomore season in high school, the team’s starting goalie went down to an injury and Tom answered the call of his teammates and coaches. After visiting his sister, a West Point graduate from 2008, and attending some summer lacrosse camps, Tom decided to attend college there as well.
It wasn’t until he attended the school that he realized infantry was his calling. “It’s the most athletic branch,” says Palesky, “because you’re carrying heavy weight (all the time). Lacrosse is my life. It's tough on your body, you run all practice and then work with a strength and conditioning coach right after. You push your body to the limit.”

The culture at West Point is also something that has driven these young men to a life of serving their country in every way possible. Brandon Butler has always known that he wanted to attend West Point, he was just “searching for my ticket in” when he fell in love with lacrosse. “Lacrosse is one of the most difficult aspects of West Point.”

Butler has wanted to be an Airborne Ranger for “as long as I can remember” he says, and he also devotes his life to helping others. After attending West Point for his freshman and sophomore year, Butler took some time off to teach at schools in Africa before returning to school in the states. He looks up to a number of fellow players and coaches, but most of all, he looks up to his head coach, Joe Alberici. “(He is) a big reason why I came here and a big reason why I came back from Africa.”
“Coach 'A' always talks about being a West Point man,” Butler says, “so that’s what I try to be.”
West Point builds and shapes young men and women into strong leaders through regimented training, utilizing the teachings of many officers in the United States Army. Coach Alberici is neither an officer nor a serviceman in the army. “I would say that Coach Alberici and my father have been my heroes” says Butler.

Having a strong leader on the field has helped to foster these three young men in their decision to choose such a demanding branch in the army. After graduation, the three of them will not be heading to the NLL or MLL. In fact, none of them have even considered it as an option. They understand that their duty is, first and foremost, on the front lines of battle as the US continues operations in countries of the Middle East.

“In general, we all know that we’re going into the military after here. We’re cadets first and lacrosse players second,” says Mulholland. “In the back of all our minds, at the end of the day, we’re not going to play in the big leagues. We know what the final goal is.”

Each man will take his own route after graduation, but all three of them will be instilled with the core values that they have learned, not only while being a cadet, but also while playing on the team.
“As you progress in your years, everyone develops their own leadership role on the team” says Mulholland. “Some guys lead verbally, some by example. (It’s) almost like a rank structure.”

Leadership in today’s world can be hard to come by. There are few professions in today’s world in which you sacrifice such a big part of your life. The infantry branch is no joke and it is one that these three men take very seriously.

First Lieutenant David J. Tiedeman of the United States Army is currently stationed in Afghanistan and has gone through Ranger training at Fort Benning as well. “When you get over here, it’s no joke,” says Tiedeman. “Your soldiers will look for you to lead them. Ranger school teaches and develops leadership.”

The journey that is required of these young men is one that few will embark on in his or her lifetime. It is a job that requires sacrifice, hard work and dedication, and it will push them to the edge every step of the way. Yet, it is something they never think twice about. It is a decision that came second nature to them. It has been their calling since they set foot on the grounds of West Point, that they were always and will always be a West Point man.